Core holding arrangement for shuttleless coil-winding machine

ABSTRACT

AN ANNULAR CORE FOR A TOROIDAL COIL IS HELD IN A SHUTTLELESS WINDING MACHINE BETWEEN TWO ROLLERS ROTATED ABOUT FIXED AXES AND A THIRD, IDLING ROLLER MOUNTED ON A SPRING-LOADED ARM. THE CORE IS AXIALLY SECURED ON THE PLASTIC OR RUBBERCOATED ROLLERS BY FLANGES ON THE SAME, THERE BEING AT LEAST THREE FLANGES ON EACH ROLLER, EACH FLANGE BEING ALIGNED IN A COMMON PLANE WITH CORRESPONDING FLANGES ON THE OTHER TWO ROLLERS. THE FREE OF THE CONDUCTOR BEING WOUND ON THE CORE IS LED FROM THE CORE OVER ONE OF THE ROLLERS TO A SPRING-   LOADED CLAMP. THE SPRING TENSION ON THE ROLLER CARRYING ARM IS ADJUSTABLE, AND THE ARM MOVEMENT IS LIMITED BY A STOP.

United States Patent Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 591,875, Nov. 3, 966, now abandoned.

[54] CORE HOLDING ARRANGEMENT FOR SHUTTLELESS COIL-WINDING MACHINE 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[521 US. Cl 242/4, 269/9 51 int. Cl H0li4l/08 Primary ExaminerBilly S. Taylor Attorney-Richard Low ABSTRACT: An annular core for a toroidal coil is held in a shuttleless winding machine between two rollers rotated about fixed axes and a third, idling roller mounted on a springloaded arm. The core is axially secured on the plastic or rubber-coated rollers by flanges on the same, there being at least three flanges on each roller, each flange being aligned in a common plane with corresponding flanges on the other two rollers. The free end of the conductor being wound on the core is led from the core over one of the rollers'to a springloaded clamp. The spring tension on the roller carrying arm is adjustable, and the arm movement is limited bya stop.

PATENTED JUN28l97l 3587.988

sum 2 OF 4 INVEN'I'OR.

Hg. 2 88mm 75 W WW CORE HOLDING ARRANGEMENT FOR Sll-IUTTLELESS COIL-WINDING MACHINE REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of the copending application Ser. No 591,875, filed Nov. 3, 1966, and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to shuttleless winding machines for toroidal coils, and particularly to improvements in winding machines of the type disclosed in US. Pat. No. 2,978,193.

It has been found, that very thin conductors tend to be broken after the first turn is wound on a toroidal core in the known apparatus. Moreover, it is time-consuming and relatively difficult to adjust the known winding apparatus for cores ofdifferent axial widths.

The object of the invention is the provision of a coil winding machine which is free from the aforementioned shortcomings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a principal feature of this invention, the three rollers between which a toroidal core is being held during coil winding have each a body portion and at least three axially spaced flanges radially projecting from the body portion. Each flange on one roller is radially aligned with respective flanges on the two other rollers to form therewith a set of three radially aligned flanges, so that the flanges of each set are arranged in a common plane perpendicular to the three parallel roller axes, and the three planes are axially spaced from each other.

The axially central plane is nearer one of the two other planes, and the spacing of the central flange of each roller from the two other flanges on the same roller is thus different. The body portion of each roller and the flanges have a com mon metallic core, and a relatively soft, resilient material covers the body portion between each pair of axially juxtaposed flanges and the exposed surfaces of the latter. The conductor which is being wound on the core held between the three rollers is guided toward the axial center of the space between adjacent flanges,

Other features, additional objects, and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will readily become apparent from the following detailed description ofa preferred embodiment when considered in connection with the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG, 1 shows a winding machine of the invention in fragmentary side elevation and in operating condition;

FIG. 2 illustrates the apparatus of FIG. 1 in front elevation and in its idle condition;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows the relationship of operating elements seen in FIGS. 1 to 3 with conventional elements of the machine, not seen in FIGS. 1 to 3, in a partly sectional plan view; and

FIG. 5 shows one of three core-holding rollers in frontelevational, axial section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIGS. 1 to 3 show only the improved elements of the winding machine of the invention together with enough of the conventional structure to provide an understanding of the invention.

The normally stationary frame of the illustrated shuttleless winding machine for toroidal cores carries all working elements of the machine. The core 12 on which the coil is to be wound is held between three rollers 1, 2, 3.

The roller 3 is shown in axial section in FIG. 5, and it will be understood that the rollers 1 and 2 differ from the roller 3 in certain radial dimensions only. The roller 3 has a metallic core 30 which is generally cylindrical and from which three integral annular ribs 31 project in a radial direction. Only the axially terminal portions of the core 30 are exposed to provide trunnions 32 of the roller. The remainder of the metal structure is enveloped in a coating 33 of silicon rubber or nylon so that, in its overall appearance, the roller has a cylindrical body portion 34 from which three flanges 21 project in a radial direction, and the trunnions 32 in an axial direction.

The radial end faces 35 of the three flanges 21 define therebetween two circumferential grooves 36,37, the groove 36 being substantially wider than the groove 37 because the spacing between the central flange 21 and one of the axially juxtaposed outer flanges is greater than that of the central flange from the other outer flange.

Reverting to FIGS. 1 to 3, it is seen that the rollers 1,2 are mounted in the frame 20 for rotation about respective fixed axes whereas the roller 3 is journaled in a forked arm 10 pivotally supported on the frame 20 by a shaft 40 equipped with a knob 41, The arm is biased toward the core 12 by a helical spring 11 whose tension can be adjusted by means of a control knob 4 on the arm 10. The pivotal movement of the arm 10 toward the rollers 1,2 is limited by an adjustable stop 5 on the frame 20.

The three core holding rollers are mounted on the frame 20 in such a manner that the three central flanges 21 are located in a common plane perpendicular to the parallel roller axes, and the three pairs of outer flanges are located in respective common planes spaced from the plane of the central flanges in opposite directions. The radially aligned flanges axially bound radially aligned grooves 36,37 of the three rollers 1,2,3.

A fixed guide pin 15 is arranged below the roller 1 and is elongated in the common direction of the roller axes. Two circumferential grooves 22 are longitudinally spaced in the pin 15 and are aligned with the axially central portions of the grooves 36,37 respectively.

The rollers 1,2 are driven by gears 6,7 fixedly fastened to respective trunnions of the rollers and meshing with the same intermediate gear 8 so that the rollers 1,2 turn in the same direction at the same circumferential speed. Rotary move ment is transmitted from a drive shaft 23 journaled in the frame 20 and connected to the nonillustrated drive motor of the apparatus to the gear 7 by a pinion 24 on the shaft 23 and a motion transmitting gear 9 rotatably mounted on the frame 20 and meshing with the gear 7 on the roller 2.

FIG. 4 shows as much of the conventional winding arrangement as is necessary for an understanding of the manner in which the improved elements of the invention cooperate with other elements, only the two drums or pulleys 13,14 of the known device being shown.

Insulated wire 16 is drawn from a nonillustrated supply spool and is laid over the drums 13,14 and through the core 12 whereupon it is tied in a closed loop. One of the drums 13,14 is thereafter driven until a skein of wire long enough to produce the desired coil extends between the drums 13,14 and through the core 12. The wire is then cut, wound in a first turn about the core 12, and led through a. groove between two flanges 21 of the roller 1 and an aligned groove 22 in the guide pin 15 to a split clamping roller 17 whose two portions are spring biased toward each other in a known manner to act as a brake on the wire and to maintain wire tension which can be adjusted by reducing or increasing the spring load on the parts of the roller 17.

As soon as first turn has been positioned on the core 12, winding of the coil proceeds in the usual manner.

FIG. 4 shows only one groove in each of the rollers 1,2 and the associated two flanges for the sake of clarity since only one groove receives a core during the winding operation. The core is firmly pressed against the resilient surface of the coating 33, much softer than the metallic core 30, by the spring 11 and the roller 3 not itself shown in FIG. 4. The spacing of the flanges 21 is such that the core cannot shift axially during winding, and the first wound turn is precisely guided toward the center of the groove 36 or 37 by the guide groove in the pin 15.

It has been found that downtime of a shuttleless winding machine equipped with the rollers of the invention and the grooved guide pin 15 is substantially shorter than with conventional metallic rollers for holding the core. The improvement is believed due to the softness and resiliency of the plastic or elastomeric material which covers all metal parts of the rollers which could get in contact with the wire 16, hold the core 12 in a precisely determined position and prevent circumferential slippage between the driven rollers and the core. The turns of wire would on the core are partly embedded in the coating 33 and protected from forces which might otherwise cause rupture of the wire and downtime of the machine spent in rethreading the winding apparatus.

The pivotal mounting of the arm 10 carrying the roller 3 permits coils of different diameter to be wound in the illustrated apparatus. The provision of two grooves 36,37 differing in axial width from each other, but being of the same width in each of the rollers 1,2,3 permits coils of different axial height to be wound of the illustrated apparatus without any adjustment of the machine.

lclaim:

1. In a shuttleless winding apparatus for winding toroidal coils on annular cores, the core being held during winding ofa coil between three rollers having substantially parallel axes, the improvement which comprises:

a. each roller having a body portion and three axially spaced flanges radially projecting from the body portion;

b. each flange on one roller being radially aligned with respective flanges on the two other rollers to form therewith a set of three radially aligned flanges, whereby three axially spaced sets of radially aligned flanges are formed; and

c. the axial spacings of the axially central set from the two other sets being different.

2. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said flanges on each roller defining two grooves therebetween, and guide means for guiding a wire toward the axially central portion of one of said grooves on one of said rollers.

3. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 2, a support, said rollers being mounted on said support, and said guide means in cluding a guide pin member elongated in the direction of said axes, said guide pin member being mounted on said support and being formed with two grooves radially aligned with the axially central portions of the grooves in said one roller.

4. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, each of said rollers having a metallic core and an outer coating of a material substantially softer than the material of said core and constituting the surface of said body portion between two axially spaced flanges and the opposite faces of said two flanges transverse to the axis ofsaid roller.

5. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said opposite faces being substantially perpendicular to said axis of the roller. 

